Some 80 percent of marine pollution arose from land activities producing nutrient loadings, wastewater discharge, marine litter, micro-plastics, and other emerging issues, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya noted in a statement here, Friday.
The minister remarked that the problems were discussed during the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) on 24-Global Climate Change Action held in Poland on December 4-14, 2018.
On Nov 12, "High Level Dialog on the Integrative Global Agenda to Protect the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities" was organized at the Indonesian Pavilion to coincide with the COP24.
The High-Level Dialog was a follow up of "The Fourth Intergovernmental Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities" (IGR-4) held in Bali from October 3 to November 1, 2018, that yielded the "Bali Declaration."
Land-based activities have produced wastes that harm the marine environment and degrade the quality and function of the marine ecosystem, the minister stated.
Indonesia has set a target of reducing plastic waste up to 70 percent by 2015.
By involving various stakeholders, the government has drafted a national action plan to organize various public awareness campaigns to reduce plastic use.
The government has also initiated commitment by 156 major companies to cut plastic waste.
The government has also implemented the Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation, and Rating (PROPER) that has managed to significantly reduce pollution.
"A total of 437 green companies have reported 8,474 activities dedicated to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)`s 14th target," Nurbaya noted.
The Katowice Climate Change Conference featured meetings of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation, and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
Reporting by Sri Muryono, fardah
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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